Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.108, No.1, 491-497, 2008
Electrospinning of degradable elastomeric nanofibers with various morphology and their interaction with human fibroblasts
Artelon((R)) (degradable poly(urethane urea) elastomer) was electrospun into scaffolds for tissue engineering. The diameter of the electrospun fibers, studied by scanning electron microscopy, ranged from 100 nm to a few pm, with an average diameter of 750 nm. The molar mass of the polymer had a major influence on the morphology of the scaffold. Furthermore, aging of the polymer solution caused changes in viscosity, as measured by stress sweeps between 13.5-942 Pa that affected the morphology. The electrospun Artelon mats exhibited about the same elongations to break, both exceeding 200%, measured by tensile tests. The degradation study showed similar degradation behavior in electrospun mats and solids. In vitro study showed that human fibroblasts not only adhere to the surface but also migrate, proliferate, and produce components of an extracellular matrix. These results strongly support the use of electrospun Artelon as a scaffold in tissue engineering. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.